1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an autoclave sterilization cabinet. More specifically, it relates to a sterilization cabinet configured to house medical instruments during a sterilization cycle and maintain them in a sterile environment after sterilization.
2. Brief Description of the Related Art
It has become axiomatic in modern medicine that the medical instruments used during a medical procedure must be sterile. Most medical facilities use autoclaves to sterilize medical instruments. Sterilization in autoclaves is achieved by subjecting medical instruments to sterilizing agent at high temperatures and pressures for a predetermined period of time. Traditionally, medical instruments are placed onto trays, which are individually wrapped in a protective wrap. The trays are then loaded onto a cart and placed into an autoclave. After the sterilization cycle, the protective wrap maintains sterility of the medical instruments contained therein. The instruments remain within the protective wrap until they are needed for a procedure.
In the recent years, mobile sterilization cabinets such as the ones disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 8,454,901 and U.S. Pub. App. No. 2015/0209455 have emerged. Sterilization cabinets do not require that each tray is wrapped into a protective wrap. Instead, the sterilization cabinet itself ensures sterility of the medical instruments contained therein after a sterilization cycle. Medical instruments are loaded onto trays and are placed into the sterilization cabinet, which is then placed into an autoclave. Sterilization cabinet contains a plurality of filtered vents which permit sterilization agent to flow therethrough during a sterilization cycle, but prevent microbes and contaminants from entering the sterilization cabinet, thereby maintaining sterile conditions after the sterilization cycle has been completed.
The sterilization cabinets currently known in the art, however, suffer from several major flaws. First, the cabinets lack a mechanism for properly expelling liquid condensate that remains within the cabinet after the sterilization cycle. This is problematic because the liquid can lead to mold growth and can serve as a conduit for microbes to enter the cabinet through a wet filter. Second, filter covers and the means of securing filter covers over the vents are inconvenient to operate and may compromise the structural strength of the sterilization cabinet. Third, manufacturing inconsistencies and deformation the sterilization cabinet may undergo during the assembly process may misalign the door with respect to the access port of the cabinet, but the sterilization cabinets known in the art do not account for this and do not provide a mechanism for efficiently adjusting the alignment of the door.
Accordingly, there exists a need for an improved autoclave sterilization cabinet having a mechanism for expelling the liquid condensate, an improved mechanism for securing the cover plates over the vents, and a mechanism for adjusting the alignment of the door.